


A Dream We Share

by Tonks914



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Also kind of, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Misuse of Potions, Time Travel, beach holiday, dads Scorbus, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:22:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24375733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tonks914/pseuds/Tonks914
Summary: Albus and Scorpius have been best mates for as long as Albus can remember. If he secretly wishes they were something more, well, that's his own problem to deal with. But when James convinces them to try a product that gives a glimpse at your life ten years down the road, Albus realises that it may be impossible to hide his secret any longer.
Relationships: Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter
Comments: 24
Kudos: 251





	A Dream We Share

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to my lovely beta, Rosie, for finding the time to give this a once over. You're the bees knees. This is a very silly and self-indulgent fic, but it brought me joy during a crappy week and I hope it does the same for you.

The amount of things that can pull Albus Potter from his bed before seven o’clock in the morning number exactly three — the smell of his Gran’s buttered biscuits, the promise of an entire day in an empty house, and one Scorpius Malfoy. Although, Albus has to admit, today it is taking a bit more effort than usual on the part of his best mate. In his defense, it’s family holiday and this bed is bloody comfortable.

“Albus, let’s go!” Scorpius whines, pulling back the covers for the fifth time this morning and finally having the sense to keep a tight grasp on them.

“I’m coming,” Albus mumbles into his pillow, attempting to pull the sheets more firmly around his shoulders and failing. He blinks dazedly up at his friend before muttering a pitiful, “Just five more minutes?”

Scorpius sighs resignedly, letting go of the sheet and plopping dramatically onto the bed next to Albus. “That’s what you said five minutes ago,” he huffs, leaning on his fist in such a way that half his face scrunches up awkwardly. Albus takes a moment to imagine a five year old Scorpius using this tactic on Draco, in an attempt to earn himself a new peacock or something equally ridiculous. He's sure it worked on Draco just as it's working on him. 

Scorpius is, and always has been, adorable. 

Or at least he would be adorable if Albus were allowing himself to think such things about his best mate. Now that they’re out of Hogwarts and moving in together, Albus knows it’s time for him to let go of the childish fantasy of best mates slowly becoming something more. If Scorpius had any interest in him, or guys for that matter, Albus is sure he would know by now. 

It's better for everyone if he refuses to allow himself to have _those_ types of thoughts — not that their holiday being at the beach is making that resolution any easier. Because Scorpius, it seems, is especially beautiful at the beach. The way the salty air curls the ends of his hair over his ears, the way water droplets skirt down his body in slow motion, his too pale skin and the need for regular sun potion rub downs, which of course he can't do himself — it's torture. Absolute torture.

Nevertheless, Scorpius is his best mate and Albus is determined to be a good one, so he throws back the covers and sits up. “Fine,” he grumbles but his dedication to his grumpiness crumbles the moment Scorpius’s face breaks into an excited grin.

Albus stands up and bites the inside of his cheek to avoid matching the intensity of his smile. He stands and searches the ground for his discarded jeans and hoodie — he reckons they aren't too disgusting considering he only wore them for a few hours last night. 

"I don't know why you're so keen to get up this early anyway. Wasn't it supposed to be cold today?"

"Do you seriously not remember me telling you this already this morning?" Scorpius asks with a laugh. 

"Well I was asleep, wasn't I?" Albus snarks, pulling the forest green hoodie over his head. 

"You responded!" Scorpius counters before shaking his head. "Nevermind, it doesn't matter. So, I ran into James on my way to the loo last night and he told me that he has an amazing surprise for everyone and we need to meet him at 7:30 down on the rocks. He says it's groundbreaking magic."

Albus freezes in the middle of buttoning his trousers and stares at his friend in utter horror and disbelief. "Oh no. Scorpius, your only child is showing."

"What? What do you mean?"

He looks like a lost puppy and Albus silently vows to enact revenge on his brother for this. "What I mean is James and Freddie are almost certainly waiting at the rocks with water balloons, or stink pellets, or something even more disgusting."

Scorpius shakes his head confidently. "You didn't see him last night. He was like a kid on Christmas morning."

"Right. Because he's an evil person who takes pleasure in the unhappiness of others," Albus deadpans.

Scorpius laughs and it's Albus’s favourite because it’s _his_ laugh, the one reserved for his stupid jokes and sardonic tones. Albus knows he’s already given in despite the strong probability that he'll end up embarrassed. At least it'll give him ammunition to earn a night out once his parents catch wind. 

"Just trust me,” Scorpius assures him, “I have a good feeling about this. And what if it's a type of magic we haven't seen? Imagine that, Albus! Besides, James wouldn't prank me, he likes me.”

“Oh does he now?” Albus chuckles. “And what makes you think that?”

“Because he told me the other night that he’s glad you have me. I think he worries about you," he says absent-mindedly, while searching through his drawers. 

And Albus doesn’t know exactly what to say to that. His and James’s relationship has steadily improved over the years but the idea that his older brother would spend time worrying about him, it makes him feel inexplicably embarrassed. And okay, maybe a little bit loved too.

“Do you mind if I wear this hoodie?” Scorpius asks, breaking into his thoughts. He doesn't wait for a response, pulling the garment roughly over his head, his hair tousling in the process.

Albus loses his voice at the sight of Scorpius in _his_ hoodie, the sleeves slightly too short revealing his bony wrists, his hair mussed like he’d just been — NO. None of _those_ thoughts.

“Shall we?” Scorpius asks, a hopeful lilt to his voice.

Albus swallows hard, nodding once and trudging ahead.

The beach. Absolute. Torture. 

Albus isn't sure why Scorpius insisted on waking him up at 6:45 when he knew they weren't meeting until 7:30. Whatever the reason, they end up reaching the rocks a solid twenty-five minutes before everyone else finally joins them — James and Roxy looking straight out of a Quidditch Supply catalogue in their skin tight athletic wear and slim cut, zip up hoodies, and Fred who looks straight out of bed, in his dirty sweatpants, tie dyed t shirt, and hideous crocs. 

"Hey!" James announces obnoxiously when he spots them. 

Albus startles slightly, still half-expecting a prank — although the odds of that now with Roxy around are slim. No one wastes Roxy's time, she's properly scary sometimes. 

"Bloody hell!" Fred groans at the sight of Albus and Scorpius perched on the rock.

Albus narrows his eyes. "Nice to see you too, Fred."

"Don't go all _Albus_ on us," Fred says in what he supposes is meant to be a placating manner. "I'm glad you're here. I just didn't think you'd wake up in time and you lost me ten sickles."

Albus opens his mouth to argue but then shuts it immediately settling on a one armed shrug. He has a fair point. 

"I told you, Scorpius can get him to do pretty much anything!" James says distractedly, rummaging around inside his drawstring bag. 

Albus looks anywhere but at Scorpius, sure that his face is bright red. When his eyes settle on Freddie, his cousin wiggles his eyebrows in a knowing gesture and Albus feels as though he might burst into flames at any moment. In fact, he might actually prefer it. Luckily, Roxy and her impatience come to his rescue. 

"Could you tell me what's going on already? I need to get to my run."

"I'm waiting for everyone else," James says defensively. 

Roxy crosses her arms over her chest. "No one else is coming," she says with a smirk. "They say you two are dramatic tits for not just telling them what it was last night and for trying to get them to wake up so early. I'm only here because it's my run time anyway."

It's a take down that would leave Albus gasping for breath and replaying the harsher words on repeat for weeks to come. James, on the other hand, shrugs it off with a lopsided grin and a half-hearted chuckle. 

"Their loss," he says confidently. "Freddie?"

Fred suddenly comes to life, standing up straight and brandishing a small bottle. "So I was able to nick a sample of my dad's newest product, from his shipment to the magical patent office," he says with a devious smirk, as if it were some master heist and not as simple as lifting a lid. 

Albus has a sudden sense of deja vu and is on his feet before consciously deciding it. "Nope!" he announces. "I'm out!"

"Don't you even want to hear what it does?" James rushes to ask. 

"The last time I ingested one of Freddie's stolen potions, my hair was glow-in-the-dark for a week!" Albus spits, suddenly angry at the memory. Not even Hermione could figure out how to undo it. The whole ordeal was humiliating and ruined the family holiday for him. 

"This is different," Freddie insists through a laugh. "That potion was untested. Sorry by the way. This though, this has been through all the testing and is just awaiting patent."

"What's it do?" Roxy asks and Albus can't believe she's interested. He looks to Scorpius for commiseration and is shocked to see his friend just as excited. 

"It's called, In Ten Years," Freddie announces with a dramatic hand flourish. "I overheard my dad's conversation, you hold this tablet in your mouth and it gives you a ten minute peak into your life in ten years."

"How does it work?" Scorpius probes, leaning forward.

"I don't know really. It just transfers your consciousness into your future self or something," Fred says with a shrug. 

"Alright, I'm in," Roxy says sitting down on the rock without a second thought. 

Albus scoffs as James celebrates. _Bloody Gryffindors_. Just as he's about to launch into a tirade, Scorpius scoots forward excitedly. "I'm in too!"

"Scorpius," Albus hisses, "I think historically we have learned that time travel is a bad idea!"

"It's not time travel though," Roxy supplies unhelpfully. 

"Right," Scorpius agrees, "it wouldn't have passed the testing phase if it shared any properties with time travel. It's really fascinating actually. I'm curious to see if we'll have full control over our senses in our future selves."

Albus makes an incredulous sound in the back of his throat watching James pass out a small tablet to each of them. "What if we're dead?" he shouts to the group in a last ditch effort to make them stop.

That seems to cause them to pause and for a moment Albus thinks he's won. "Then we'll know we better get on with the living," Roxy announces with a smile which earns her a high five from James. 

"I've always been curious as to what it feels like to be dead," Scorpius agrees strangely and Albus thinks they've all lost their minds. "Albus?" Scorpius asks, his beautiful, blue-grey eyes looking up at him, causing Albus's heart to flip over itself. If he survives, maybe this crazy experiment will help him move on. That might be worth the risk. 

He huffs sulkily before sitting down at Scorpius's side, pointedly ignoring James's snort. Roxy passes him a tablet, the small circle feeling curiously weighty in his hand. 

"On three," Freddie declares, "one, two, three."

Albus waits a fraction of a second longer, watching the tablet hit his brother's tongue before following suit. The taste is instantaneous and overwhelmingly ginger, causing his eyes to squeeze shut against the bitterness. 

Then suddenly, it's gone. 

Albus blinks his eyes open but it's not to the harsh morning sun reflecting off the sea. Instead, he's back cocooned in a soft bed, only it's not the bed that he woke in this morning. This is unfamiliar, although somehow even more comfortable — the sheets the expensive, luxurious sort. 

"Albus!" a voice hisses at his side.

Albus turns towards the sound and sees Scorpius standing at the side of his bed — or at least he _thinks_ it's Scorpius. The image is entirely blurry, he blinks a few times in an attempt to clear them, to no avail. 

"Oh no! That bloody potion made me blind," he laments. 

"Oh," Scorpius says, and it is Scorpius, there's no mistaking his voice. "No, I just think you need these," he says, before shoving glasses onto the bridge of Albus's nose. 

"Glasses?" he groans. "Seriously?"

"At least they're not round?" he says with a chuckle, and Albus can see him properly now. 

Scorpius still looks like himself, but as someone who has every line of him memorized, Albus can see the changes. He's standing in his usual, expensive blue silk pajamas but the top remains unbuttoned revealing an expanse of milky white, toned skin. He's definitely still on the thin side but he's filled out — the angles of his body no longer reading as willowy boy, but as sexy man. His face is largely unchanged save for a couple of the lines that appear when he's laughing, have taken up permanent residence. Godric, those ten years have been kind to him. 

He swallows hard, hopping out of bed to shake the thoughts away. This is not why he's here. "Right! Are you ready to explore?"

"Albus," Scorpius squeaks, a strangled sound that Albus has never heard him make. "A couple things. One. You're only in your pants. And two. We're both here."

Albus's mind stutters on the first revelation doing his best to cover himself as he pulls a hoodie off the back of a chair and slips it on. It's so oversized, it mostly covers his pants anyway. Now that he's covered, he allows himself to process the second piece of information. 

"Okay, so we're both here," he says, "do you think something went wrong?"

"No," Scorpius breathes, pointing to the wall above the bed. 

There, in large black lettering it reads: 

_'The Malfoys, established 2029.'_

Albus blinks at it a few times before noticing a picture frame hung below the words. He steps on to the bed in a daze, stumbling before catching himself on the headboard. 

The photograph is everything Albus has ever dreamed of — he and Scorpius on their wedding day, wearing smart, tan suits, their heads pressed against each other, so in love. He lifts his left hand to trace their movement and it's then that he sees the ring — a simple white gold band, handsomely made, it looks perfect against his skin. 

"It looks like you're Albus Malfoy now," Scorpius manages with an awkward laugh. 

Albus feels like he could cry. Could this actually be real? Will Scorpius love him back one day? He swallows hard before stepping off the bed gracelessly and turning to face Scorpius. "I'm sure my dad loved that." He chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck. 

Scorpius smiles at him almost cautiously, like he's waiting to see how Albus will react to the news. "That's not that long from now," he says, referencing the date on the wall, "only five years from now. Or five years ago, I guess."

"No, it's not," Albus agrees, needing to know if this means what he hopes it means. "Does this mean that you -"

"Wait," Scorpius interrupts, "did you hear that?"

Albus shakes his head but even as he does, he hears it too. A small broken sound almost like a whining puppy or a — crying _baby_. 

His head snaps up, his eyes widening and finding Scorpius's equally alarmed ones. 

"We should probably -"

"Yeah," Scorpius agrees, looking as though they're going to fight off an erumpent in heat rather than hunt for a crying baby.

Luckily, they don't have to search long as the source of the sound is closed behind the door directly next to theirs. Albus pushes it open revealing a small, dimly-lit nursery, the white walls adorned with intricate peacocks stenciled throughout. Albus creeps over to the bassinet by the window, peering over the side to see a dark haired baby, swaddled all in pink, who calms at the mere sight of him. 

"Oh Merlin!" Scorpius exclaims, looking over his shoulder. "It's a baby. We have a baby, Albus. Or we're going to have a baby."

"Shhh, you're going to scare her," Albus chastises before turning his attention back to the baby. "Hello there! Who are you?"

"Adara. Astoria. Malfoy," Scorpius whispers, staring at the engraved picture frame clutched in his hands. And Albus doesn't think it's his imagination that Scorpius's voice sounds a bit tight. 

"That's a beautiful name," he says, before reaching into the cot and very carefully pulling at the side of the swaddle, watching as the tiniest little arms spring forth in an instant stretch. Albus loves her already. 

Scorpius audibly gasps at his side. "Albus, she looks just like you."

"No she doesn't," he protests, "all babies look the same."

"But look at the hair," Scorpius coos, "and this little pattern of freckles, it's lighter but it's the same as the spot underneath your eye," he says, tracing the freckles on Adara's face earning him a very disgruntled scowl. "And you make that exact face!"

Albus flashes him an unimpressed look even as his skin tingles with the realization of just how closely Scorpius has been watching him. As a distraction for the barrage of emotions, he reaches in to the cot, allowing Adara, _their daughter,_ to latch on to his finger. He swallows hard, willing himself to be brave. 

"I didn't think -" he starts, feeling his bravery wane more with every second, "I didn't think you felt this way. You know, about blokes." He finishes lamely, hating himself a little bit. He's such a coward. "I thought it was just Rose."

When he chances a look to the side, Scorpius is smiling at him fondly. "It hasn't been Rose for a long while," he says, his hand slowly coming to rest against Albus's cheek.

And Albus can't ever remember a time where breathing became this difficult. 

"What about you?" Scorpius asks, barely a whisper.

"Me?" Albus says stupidly, tears stinging the corners of his eyes. "For me, it's only ever been you."

Scorpius lets out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sigh before leaning in slowly. "Albus," he exhales. 

Albus closes his eyes, moving to meet him in the middle, but before their lips meet, his mouth is flooded with the unpleasant aftertaste of ginger. He gags, retreating, as his eyes fly open, only to find himself staring, not into the eyes of Scorpius, as he expects, but of his God brother, Teddy Lupin. 

"Last one's up," Teddy says to no one in particular, hoisting Albus to his feet in one swift motion. It makes Albus's head spin. 

He catches his balance before taking a moment to survey the group, seeing that everyone is equally as disoriented. He tries and fails to meet Scorpius's eyes before Teddy starts lecturing. 

"Do you have any idea how scary it was to walk up to the five of you completely unconscious?" he asks, looking at each of them in turn. "You're so lucky that George told me all about this potion the other night or I would have been rushing to Harry for help and you five would have been in lockdown for the rest of holiday."

"We're all adults, _Dad_ ," Fred says with a snicker. 

"Oh! As if I wasn't an adult the summer of the exploding shrub incident! I ended up grounded along with the rest of you, if you recall?" Teddy says, with a swat to the back of Freddie's head. 

"Teds, it was so worth it!" James announces, practically vibrating with excitement. "I found out I'm going to captain the national team!"

"What?" Teddy asks in disbelief. 

"No, you're not," Freddie says from his side, confusion written plainly across his face. 

"Yes I am," James says indignantly.

"No," Fred insists, "you're going to be my auror partner."

"An auror?" Roxy snorts. "How the hell did you become an auror, you're basically illiterate."

"Oi!" 

"And I saw a recent picture of James in my living room," she continues, "I'm sorry to tell you mate, but you had a total dad bod. There's no way you're a quidditch captain."

Realization is slowly creeping its way into Albus's mind, the truth weighing heavily on his chest, threatening to crush him. He can't bear to look at Scorpius and see what he's making of everything, to see his fears confirmed on his friend's face. 

Comprehension must dawn on Teddy at that exact moment as a hysterical laugh bubbles out of him. "What is it that you lot think you've just done?" 

Fred is the first to speak up. "We used a product that gave us a glimpse of our lives, ten years from now," he says simply. 

"Aww man," Teddy says, and it's clear that he feels legitimately bad for them. "I'm sorry to tell you but, no. That product just shines a light on what you want from your life in ten years. It's like your deepest hopes and dreams."

And there it is. The truth that Albus desperately wishes would disappear, breaking his heart into a million pieces — none of it was real. Scorpius doesn't really love him, not in _that_ way anyway. He bites the inside of his cheek hard in an attempt to stifle the tears. 

"Are you taking the piss?" James asks Teddy pitifully and this would all be comical if it didn't hurt so badly. 

"No," Teddy says, "I'm sorry, Jamie. George is planning to market it to middle-aged witches who like to make vision boards."

"Damnit," James says, deflating even further. 

"Hey," Teddy says, ruffling James's hair, "it doesn't mean it won't still happen. Now come on, it's almost 8:00 am, on a holiday. I think some alcohol is in order."

"Yeah," James mumbles, turning to leave but first knocking into Roxy with his hip. 

"What the hell was that for?" she yells, anger flaring in her eyes. 

"You want me to have a dad bod!" James shouts, flicking her in the ear before they all sprint back towards the beach house. 

Albus sighs, moving to follow when Scorpius catches his wrist.

"Albus?"

"Yeah?" he says, attempting to bury his heart break enough to manage a casual tone.

"It _was_ you, wasn't it?" Scorpius asks, looking as though he's fighting tears himself. 

"What do you mean?" Albus asks, not daring to hope. 

"The dream," he whispers, "it felt like it was really you. With Adara?"

Albus gasps, like gasps so dramatically that he actually hears it, himself. He'd usually be embarrassed but right now he's too caught up on if this is even possible. "How?" he croaks.

"It was you?" Scorpius practically shouts, grabbing onto Albus's shoulders and shaking lightly. "We were married and we had that beautiful baby?"

"Yes," Albus laughs in disbelief, "but how is that even possible?"

"I don't know," Scorpius admits on a laugh. "Maybe because it was a shared dream? We wanted the same things out of the future so we landed there together?"

Albus doesn't know if that makes sense but right now the 'how' doesn't really matter. All that matters is that this is _actually_ happening.

"And that is still what you want?" he asks sheepishly, needing to be sure. "I mean, _I'm_ actually what you want?"

"Gods Albus, yes!" Scorpius says, curling his hand to rest at the base of Albus's neck. "Although, I have to admit, now that I've seen you with that baby, I might want twelve babies with you instead of just the one. I hope that's okay."

Albus giggles, a giddy thing that has him feeling lighter than he has in years. Scorpius pulls their foreheads together just like in the photograph and smiles at him soppily. 

"I'm so in love with you," he whispers, his mouth close enough that each word tickles Albus's lips. 

Albus licks them, instinctively preparing for what is to come and is not left disappointed. When their lips finally meet, it's better than anything he could've dreamed because this — this is real. 

And Albus has never been happier.   
  



End file.
